teams

Agile team all putting their hands in the center, photo by Perry Grone Creating a Company Culture Where Agile Will Thrive

A so-called generative culture has all the characteristics necessary to support self-directed teams, shared responsibility, experimentation, and continuous process improvement. But what about the rest of us? Most large organizations don't have a culture where agile will take hold so easily. Here's what needs to change.

Jeffery Payne's picture
Jeffery Payne
Gerald Weinberg, photo by Corey Grusden The Importance of People in Software: A Tribute to Jerry Weinberg

Gerald Weinberg's work inspired many to be better engineers and better leaders. Although he’s no longer with us, his message about the role of people in building quality software lives on in his writings and in those who have learned from him. Here, Steve Berczuk recalls some of Jerry Weinberg's most influential books.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
A successful testing team in a circle with their hands in the middle 3 More Fundamentals of a Successful Testing Team

Many QA managers seek a formula for creating an effective testing team. While they may pursue endless tools and lifecycle approaches, the answer is actually simpler. These three fundamentals will ensure you’re leading your test engineers in the right direction and building a world-class testing organization.

Greg Paskal's picture
Greg Paskal
Woman shaking hands with a job candidate after a hiring interview An Agile Framework for Improving Your Hiring Process

When hiring, adopting a framework to help you screen candidates can save a lot of time. However, much like adopting Scrum to improve your software development, following a framework won’t magically guarantee perfect results. But a framework will give you the tools to start off better, and to improve over time.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Two coworkers glaring at each other Dealing with a Coworker You Can't Stand

If you worked with someone years ago who was highly unlikable, it’s natural to assume that the person is just as unappealing now. If circumstances bring you together again, it’s unlikely you’ll find the person tolerable. You might as well expect the worst because once a jerk, always a jerk, right? Not necessarily.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Crab on the beach, photo by Felipe Portella How to Deal with Crabby Coworkers

We've all had to deal with crabby coworkers—the people who have good technical skills but are a pain to work with. They grouse, gripe, and are generally negative. Luckily, there are more things you can do than just hope you don't have to interact with these people. Here are tips for dealing with your crabby coworkers.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Calendar showing some already missed deadlines The Normalization of Deviance Could Be Hurting Your Team

Normalization of deviance refers to becoming blasé about counterproductive behavior or activities. The concept applies to processes that become ingrained in a team even though they contribute to negative outcomes, such as slipping deadlines. Employees become so accustomed to the deviance that, to them, it seems normal.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
A high-performing QA team holding up a trophy Testing the Tester: Building a High-Impact QA Team

Teams don’t always understand the impact their roles have on the business outcome, so their lack of focus can affect software quality and lead to an array of disasters. You can help your existing testers become a high-performing QA team focused on goals. Here’s what you can do to transform how your QA team functions.

Amol Adsule's picture
Amol Adsule